Adelaide’s SANFL side produced its second victory of the season with a 13-point triumph against North Adelaide.

In a game of two halves, the Crows took a 46-point advantage into half time, before the Roosters flipped the script, booting eight of the final 10 goals of the game. 

Despite the comeback the work Adelaide had done early proved to be the difference, as it held on to win 10.13 (73) to 9.6 (60). 

SANFL Senior Coach Matthew Wright spoke to AFC Media post-game, and delivered five key takeaways.

Curtin returns

Dan Curtin played his first competitive game of the season against the Roosters, after returning from knee surgery, 

Playing all four quarters primarily as an onballer, Curtin linked up with his fellow midfielders well, and behind the ball late to give Adelaide an extra defender. 

“I thought he found a way to impact; he is one that we will continue to build and put his best foot forward,” Wright said. 

“He’s had no summer essentially, so it’s great to see him back out there playing footy, it gave a real lift to the group.”

Curtin amassed 18 touches, six marks, four tackles and four clearances.

Soligo’s prolific performance 

Midfielder Jake Soligo showcased his ability to win the ball with a strong performance through the midfield. 

Soligo was clean with his possessions, got in the right position to win the ball, and supported his teammates to impact defensively.

“We wanted Jake to come in and play his role, first and foremost and his ability to do that today was pretty impressive I thought,” Wright said.

“His game built on the back of it, for him to build and continue to play that brand of footy today I’m pretty happy with.” 

Soligo finished with a game-high 38 disposals, five marks, seven clearances, seven inside 50s and two goals. 

Back six dominate early

Adelaide’s key defenders, led by James Borlase, were on point in the opening half, limiting the Roosters to four scoring shots from 22 entries. 

Borlase set the tone early collecting 18 disposals and 11 marks in the first two terms, well supported by the likes of Indy Cotton, Oscar Ryan and Tom Bell. 

“His (Borlase’s) ability to execute his role and help his teammates out is outstanding, he’s a natural leader and he leads by his actions,” Wright said.

“When you are a full back and they are sending a man to you to nullify your impact in the second half, it is great for him because he probably hasn’t had that too often. 

“For those boys I reckon they are taking steps each week and I’m really happy with how they are gelling.”

Jones plays team game

Midfielder Chayce Jones spent the afternoon playing on the wing and through the middle where he combined well with his teammates and was effective by foot. 

Jones’ ability to work both ways stood out to Wright, as he supported the back six along with going forward to boot two majors for the afternoon.

“For him to have the numbers he did as a winger is really impressive, I thought he really went to work today,” Wright said.

“He shifts back defensively to support our backs, generates some ball movement out of the back half and tests his direct opponent getting ahead of the ball. 

Jones finished with 24 disposals, six marks, four clearances and three inside 50s. 

Dowling shows versatility

Onballer Billy Dowling celebrated his 50th SANFL League game in style, having a strong first half where he was able to impact going forward.

Dowling played a variety of roles, and influenced the game, whether it was as an inside midfielder, on the wing or as a half forward.

“He’s doing a heap of work, his ability to impact around the footy, go forward and we also saw him on the wing, so his ability to play multiple roles is a really important aspect of how he goes about it,” Wright said. 

“He was a contributor over four quarters today, he’s been in good form and hasn’t missed a beat.”

Dowling finished with 24 disposals, six marks, six tackles and six inside 50s.

Adelaide’s SANFL side’s next game will be next Friday afternoon against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval with the first bounce at 4:00pm.

 The game will serve as a curtain raiser to the AFL Showdown. 

ADELAIDE: 4.3  8.7  8.13  10.13 (73)

NORTH: 0.1  1.3  5.5  9.6  (60) 

GOALS:

Adelaide: Taheny, Jones, Soligo 2, Ludowyke, Strachan, Boyle, Drury

North: Cresswell, Van Huisstede, Francou 2, Szekely, Wilsdon, Spina

BEST:
Jones, Soligo, J.Boyle, Borlase, Ryan, Dowling, O’Brien